Sr. Agronomist - Brinck Ag (Athol)

Position Purpose

The Senior Agronomist owns the design and managed execution of BRINCK's annual Agricultural Demonstration of Commercial Readiness Trial Program. The role converts products that have successfully completed Claims Development Trials into disciplined, field-scale commercial demonstrations across crops, production systems, regions, and countries. The Senior Agronomist coordinates with internal leaders and peers, directs third-party Trial Managers, protects trial integrity, and turns field evidence into clear commercial learning and decision support.

Primary accountability: Deliver an on-time, field-ready, decision-useful annual program that demonstrates where, how, and under what growing conditions BRINCK products create commercially meaningful value.

Essential Responsibilities

• Program strategy and portfolio design. Build the annual demonstration portfolio from approved Claims Development Trial outputs; define the commercial question, evidence gap, crop, geography, production system, comparator, scale, timing, endpoints, and success criteria for each site.
• Annual operating plan. Create and maintain the master plan, stage gates, site pipeline, responsibilities, budget inputs, dependencies, risk register, issue log, and leadership reporting cadence. With the exception of greenhouse production environments, sequence work in follow-the-sun waves and start readiness activities no later than 60 days before the planned first application.
• Site and partner selection. Establish site-selection criteria; guide third-party partners in recruiting growers and facilities; recommend anchor sites by region; and add sites only when they address a distinct evidence need rather than duplicate an existing demonstration.
• Protocol development. Translate approved claims and label directions into practical field protocols. Define treatment arms, comparator strategy, plot or block identification, crop-stage application windows, sampling, harvest measurements, imagery, economics, required metadata, and deviation-handling rules.
• Third-party Trial Manager leadership. Set scopes of work and deliverables; conduct kickoffs and training; confirm readiness; review schedules and site records; lead recurring operating calls; resolve escalated agronomic or execution issues; and hold partners accountable for data quality, timing, documentation, and closeout.
• Field execution and quality oversight. Verify that treated and comparator areas remain identifiable through harvest; audit application records and key observations; coordinate site visits; document deviations; and implement corrective actions while maintaining grower practicality and safety.
• Data and evidence stewardship. Ensure consistent capture of marketable yield, packout, fruit count and size, brix where relevant, culls, harvest continuity, buyer or processor grade, plant-response observations, SPAD or tissue measurements where appropriate, imagery, grower observations, application costs, incremental marketable output, and return per acre.
• Analysis and reporting. Review and interpret site-level results with appropriate context. Prevent unsupported pooling across distinct regions or overextension of claims from single sites. Prepare concise readouts for technical, commercial, executive, grower, and partner audiences; support ARM-compatible trial structure, data capture, and reporting where practical.
• Cross-functional coordination. Work with Claims Development, product, regulatory, supply and logistics, commercial, marketing, finance, and leadership teams to confirm trial-use or label alignment, material availability, shipping, grower agreements, media permissions, data ownership, and readiness to proceed.
• Continuous improvement. Lead post-season reviews; capture lessons learned; improve templates, partner standards, workflows, planning tools, and decision criteria; and recommend whether evidence supports broader demonstration, market activation, additional claims work, or discontinuation.

2027 Program Context

Initial demonstration planning emphasizes stress management and nutrient-use efficiency through foliar spray applications, following the label. The portfolio is expected to span open-field and protected production, conventional and organic/regenerative systems, and three geographic waves: Mexico; Southern U.S. states (and Spain as appropriate); and other U.S. states and Canada (and Spain as appropriate).

Dimension

Priority

Execution principle

Rosaceae

Blackberry

Floricane and primocane; field and protected

Cucurbits

Watermelon

Seeded, seedless, and mini types

Solanaceae

Peppers and tomato

Field and protected-market types

Treatment arms

Three where practical

Grower base-program check; labeled seaweed positive control; BRINCK Extract

Application timing

Crop stage

Planning ranges vary by annual, berry, and protected systems

Commercial endpoints

Marketable output and economics

Pair agronomic response with packout, grade, continuity, cost, and return per acre

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or above in agronomy, crop science, plant pathology, horticulture, soil science, plant science, or a closely related agricultural discipline.
• 15+ years of professional experience in production agriculture, agronomy, crop consulting, agricultural research, product development, Extension, or a related field, including hands-on familiarity with field-level operations relevant to trials and demonstrations.
• Demonstrated ability to design, organize, or manage field plots, on-farm trials, commercial demonstrations, or comparable multi-site agricultural programs-from site readiness and application through harvest and closeout.
• Adeptness with planning tools and operating disciplines used to manage schedules, responsibilities, dependencies, risks, issues, budgets, records, and deliverables. Specific software is less important than rigorous, transparent use of the tools.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical agronomy and data into practical direction for growers, Trial Managers, business partners, and executives.
• Ability to lead through influence, guide external partners, establish clear expectations, follow up consistently, and resolve field issues without losing scientific discipline or commercial practicality.
• Sound agronomic judgment, data literacy, attention to detail, and the ability to distinguish directional commercial evidence from research-grade proof.
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally and to work around critical field activities, application windows, and harvest periods.
• Ability to pass a hair follicle drug test, post-offer pre-employment physical, and background check.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) credential or comparable professional certification.
• Experience with biostimulants, biologicals, plant nutrition, stress management, nutrient-use efficiency, or other agricultural inputs.
• Experience across specialty crops, protected agriculture, organic/regenerative systems, or diverse U.S. and international production regions.
• Experience using trial-management, data-capture, or reporting systems.
• Experience interpreting label directions, coordinating trial-use requirements, and working with regulatory, supply-chain, commercial, and marketing teams.
• Working proficiency in Spanish or experience operating through local partners in Mexico or Spain.

Success Measures

• Annual portfolio approved, contracted, supplied, and field-ready before each wave's application window.
• Trial Managers and growers execute the approved protocol with complete, timely, traceable records and documented deviations.
• Site selection creates meaningful diversity without redundant demonstrations or unsupported geographic extrapolation.
• Leadership receives timely visibility into readiness, risks, costs, execution status, preliminary observations, and final outcomes.
• Final reports integrate agronomic response, commercial quality, grower practicality, and per-acre economics into clear recommendations.
• Post-season learning measurably improves the next program cycle and informs commercialization decisions.

Core Competencies

Agronomic judgment

Applies plant, soil, production, and diagnostic knowledge in field conditions.

Program leadership

Creates structure, drives milestones, and maintains accountability across organizations.

Commercial orientation

Designs demonstrations around customer value, operational fit, and credible economics.

Evidence discipline

Protects comparability, traceability, and appropriate interpretation of results.

Communication

Adapts technical content for growers, scientists, partners, executives, and commercial teams.

Practical problem-solving

Resolves changing field realities while preserving the purpose and integrity of the work.

Working Relationships

• Internal: BRINCK leadership; Claims Development; product and technical teams; regulatory; supply and logistics; commercial; marketing; finance; and other designated peers.
• External: Third-party Trial Managers; growers; crop advisers; researchers; distributors; consultants; laboratories; applicators; buyers/processors; and local partners in relevant regions.

Role Conditions

• Regular field and farm environments, including variable weather, uneven terrain, dust, noise, agricultural equipment, and seasonal time pressure.
• Travel and schedule flexibility are required to support site readiness, applications, key crop stages, harvests, partner reviews, and issue resolution.
• The role must follow applicable product labels, trial-use requirements, farm safety rules, confidentiality obligations, and BRINCK policies.